Do you own 17 pairs of socks?

Looking through the average person's chest of drawers, you can expect to find 17 pairs of
socks and 18 pairs of underwear, if a recent survey is to be believed.

The results, found by Cotton USA Global Lifestyle Monitor (GLM), showed that Britons actually fall behind their European counterparts on several clothing items.

Despite Britons owning three extra pairs of underwear since the survey was last conducted two years ago, the Germans hold the title of owning the most - on average 23 pairs of underwear and 24 pairs of
socks.

We also fall behind the Italians when it came to suits and bras, with British men typically owning 1.4 suits and the average woman laying claim to nine bras, compared to the Italian average of three suits and 12 bras.

The survey revealed that - while we own on average of 11 clothing items less than in 2012 - 61% claim to donate unused clothing to charities.

Cotton USA spokeswoman Stephanie Thiers-Ratcliffe said: "The GLM report always brings some interesting and sometimes surprising results, giving lots to talk about when it comes to the different clothing habits of European countries."

Ipsos surveyed 5,000 people aged 15-54 in February and March this year.